Testing Lego's Smart Bricks with my two kids

"The Lego Smart Brick is a tiny computer in the shape of a 2x4 Lego brick. It offers RGB light; real-time synthesized sound; a wirelessly rechargeable battery; Bluetooth mesh networking to communicate with other bricks; sensors including motion, orientation, color, ambient light, and proximity; a microphone to detect sound; and most importantly, an NFC reader so it can execute tiny programs just by attaching the brick to a Lego set."

"The problem isn't the price tag or even the kid-friendly builds; it's that Lego's been too stingy with the Smart Brick's smarts. Half its sensing features aren't even used in the first eight sets; the ones that are here are underutilized."

"For now, these 'smart' bricks feel far too dumb. I'm afraid the first Lego Smart Play sets are largely just light and sound like critics feared. And that wasn't enough to entertain my kids."

Lego introduced Smart Bricks, tiny computers embedded in standard 2x4 bricks, as a major innovation featuring RGB lighting, synthesized sound, wireless charging, Bluetooth mesh networking, and multiple sensors including motion, orientation, color detection, and proximity sensing. Despite initial excitement, the first eight sets released underutilize these capabilities, relying primarily on basic light and sound interactions. A parent's test with his six and nine-year-old daughters revealed that while children enjoyed building the sets initially, they quickly lost interest and requested returns. The Smart Bricks contain advanced features like NFC readers and microphones that remain largely unused in current offerings, making the technology feel underdeveloped and insufficient to maintain long-term engagement.

Read at The Verge